#but until then the gist is:

[wonder-worker]

Friendly reminder that Francesco Coppino and Prospero di Camulio, contemporaries who were literally getting their information from predominantly Yorkist circles, were both explicitly clear that it was Henry VI who decided to surrender Berwick to Scotland.

Camulio: "King Henry has given away a castle [town] called Berwick, which is one of the keys of the frontier between England and Scotland." Coppino: "[Scotland has] received from the same Henry the town of Berwick, on the frontiers of Scotland, which the Scots have long claimed as their right from the English, as the excellently well furnished guardian of their frontiers, and the place to which King Henry repaired as an asylum after the battle."

The idea that Margaret of Anjou was principally involved in the surrender, or that she was the one who actually made the decision, is based on the claims of later chronicles. Two direct contemporaries, both speaking of ongoing events as they unfolded, who were both getting information from Yorkist-held England, both clearly believed it was Henry who was responsible for this course of action. Neither of them mention Margaret. Sure, you can argue that it was merely rhetorical, and that they were simply automatically attributing such an important decision to the King rather than the queen - but rhetoric is nonetheless extremely important and helps us understand how historical figures were perceived at the time. Margaret's enemies would surely not have hesitated to broadcast her involvement had it actually been true, and Coppino in particular had shown no qualms about criticizing her in favor of the Yorkists before. If she was genuinely believed to have been responsible, and if the Yorkists were actually claiming that she was at the time, I see no reason why Coppino or Camulio would not have emphasized her role in their letters. What these samples instead indicate is literally the opposite: that their contemporaries - probably including the Yorkists who were putting out the information that Coppino and Camulio reported - actually believed that Henry was the one making the decision. I think it's a very large and very unnecessary stretch to go against actual evidence and claim otherwise by placing the responsibility on Margaret instead.

Additionally, these small samples may also reveal what people at the time - once again including the Yorkists - actually thought of Henry's role in the war on a broader level, away from direct Yorkist propaganda which would obviously and perhaps understandably seek to de-emphasize it: namely, that Henry was perceived as the one making decisions and deciding the courses of action for his own side.

Source: Excerpts from the Calendar of State Papers and Manuscripts, Existing in the Archives and Collections of Milan

[benevolenterrancy]

The monster spurted a mouthful of water over the Tang Priest and shouted "Change!" Sanzang's real body was hidden away and he was turned into a striped tiger to their mortal eyes. All fled in terror except a handful of gallant generals who charged the tiger, hacking wildly with every kind of weapon. After a turmoil that continued until evening they finally caught the tiger, chained it, and put it in an iron cage.

[thisantithesis]

jegulus but it’s in a world where royals are of celestial descent and james is part of the family of the Sun, the hope and future of the kingdom of gryffindor. sirius is of star descent, a sun-star himself, but is, unbeknownst to everyone else, a dying one. remus is from the moon family, a previously extinct line, and considered an outcast because of the weird rumors surrounding families from lunar descent. and then you have regulus, an anomaly within the black family, a black hole in a line of stars and galaxies that is destined to extinguish the sun of gryffindor kingdom and bring it to its end.

[skylendra]

Luffy, Dragon and Freedom

I see people being like “Dragon really made the revolutionary army without including his son, the reincarnation of the god of liberation.” And yes, he did, and it was a good thing for One Piece as a story and for the world of One Piece. Because if he didn’t then Luffy would probably not have become the reincarnation of Nika. Luffy wasn’t born into being the embodiment of freedom, he was made into it.

Luffy is shaped by his experiences, the people he met and globally his childhood. Like almost everyone in One Piece. It is one of the core themes that we are not defined by blood but by our choice. That without being alienated by our past, it led us to where we are.  

Dragon couldn’t be the next Joy Boy, even though the timeline match, because he isn’t free in the way Luffy is. Dragon is the epitome of duty. He is leading the revolution. He has responsibilities towards his people but also the world, at least in his mind. And not to say that Luffy doesn’t have responsibility, but it’s different. The Straw Hat are a family, the Revolutionary Army are an organization.

For Dragon, it is all about the greater good.

He seemed to be sad to have taken this decision. But he will do it again. Because it is a sacrifice he is willing to make. And probably something necessary for the cause.

And this is why he is not the next Joy Boy.

But Luffy is not the same. He doesn’t do something for the greater good. He does things because he wants to or because he thinks it is the right thing to do. Like on Saboady, when he punched Charlos. It was selfish, immature and caused hardship on his crew and others. But that’s not something he regrets, as he said in ch 521. And yes it comes from a deep faith in his crewmates. But still.

If Luffy had been raised as the son of Dragon and under the hypothesis that his desire for freedom was inborn, then his take on it would be different.

Because he wouldn’t have been inspired by the free spirit that is Shanks. He wouldn’t have been left on his own with bandits and some dude he would later call his brother. He wouldn’t just live in the forest doing whatever he wants, without any worries, because they are strong kids. Even though the latter are important for Luffy as a character and also his conception of freedom, at least I think so, it's negligible. Because at this point, the Hito Hito no mi Model: Nika already chose him. Because of Shanks and how he shaped some parts of Luffy (and that's his tragedy, he will only ever be the one who set change in motion like Roger wanted him to, never the change he wanted to be for Roger. And he accepted his fate. He was going to follow his mentor's will and give the fruit to his son. So yeah. He drinks. Because if Roger didn't think he was the guy, than he can't be, he won't be. It's a self fulfilling prophecy. Even though he had the fruit, he won't allow himself to eat it. He won't betray his captain like that. But he still nudges thing a bit, and bet on Luffy. A way to change the course of the fate his captain doomed him to be a spectator, a way to have an impact. And that's a part why Luffy matters so much to him. Because he is the last mission of his late captain. But he also was the one who set him free).

One of Luffy's very strengths and an important part of his take on freedom is his simple-mindedness. He is incredibly emotionally intelligent. He doesn’t embarrass himself with what he considers to be frivolities, he doesn’t care about the reason, he just sees injustice and try to help. An approach that is not shared with the Revolutionary Army. They observe and weigh the stakes and debate and plan and so on.

Because compromises are necessary sometimes. But that’s not what Luffy does. And that’s great. Because Luffy embodies freedom, that’s his whole thing. That’s why the Hito Hito no Mi Model: Nika chose him.

Dragon and Luffy are very different, and have distinct take on freedom. But the one piece’s world needs both. And they need each other in order to succeed.

The Revolutionary Army are the big picture guys. The ones that see the patterns and identify the problem at its roots. The World Government, the Nobles, the Statu quo. They are the ones with the plans and the resources.

Overall, the Straw Hats are not relevant for the marine. They don’t threat the very establishment of the world in the same way. They don’t want to. Yes, Robin wants to discover what happened during the void century and maybe wants to spread the knowledge but she doesn't necessarily want to bring the world government down. Yes Franky had the plan to replicate Pluto but he destroyed it. Yes Luffy had the power of their sworn enemy, but he doesn't know what that means nor does he care. It's just his fruit now. Because they are just the straw hat. They are silly guys who tried to fulfill their dreams and help the ones they care about. They don’t give a fuck about the big picture. They care about the neglected, the people that don’t matter. It's never to end an oppressive regime, it's always to help people who had been kind to them. Everything about it is personal. That why they are different.

We need multiple approaches to get social progress.

So yeah. Dragon and Luffy are different. But that’s what make them complementary.  

[jdramaflow]

THE DIAMOND SLEEPING IN THE SEA 海に眠るダイヤモンド 2024, dir. Tsukahara Ayuko, Fukuda Ryosuke, Fukawa Ryosuke.

[kerbubbles]

Watching soul eater and cooking up my au because these men have taken over my brain completely

[angheling]

Here’s a little doodle dump of Tonis I put together because I love him

[cryptidlark]

I don’t need to watch conclave because I have already engaged with multiple pieces of borgias media. hope they haven’t changed the rules in the last 500 years

[i-may-be-an-emu]

Some more sfth doodles I did without references

Caravan lover/brothers (it’s best not to ask 😭😭) Old Lady Margaery, Spirit of Somerset and Xavier

[princema-k]

i would actually love to hear your thoughts on when layton would emote the ways you've drawn him! if you want! no pressure if not!

OH B OY HERE WE GO!!!!! again take everything with a grain of salt bc i Forgor bits of the series

BLANKET SPOILER FOR UNWOUND FUTURE/MIRACLE MASK MAYBE??/AZRAN LEGACY

(for reference we are talking abt this post)

SURPRISE: As we know in the PL series, it's very very hard to catch the professor off-guard in any way. Most of the things you would think would surprise him, he's already known for a long time and was just keeping quiet about it so that he could use that information at the right time.

With that being said, the times where he does seem to get somewhat surprised (or taken aback. he's so goddamn emotionally constipated) seem to be when the shocker in question has personal relation to him. Though in the series proper, none of the shocking personal factoids are ever presented in a way to make him jump. So theoretically, if any twists like Claire or Descole's reveal were presented much more aggressively, he might emote like how I've drawn him (though I kinda doubt it). Or just jumpscare him lmao

SADNESS: Obviously we know that Layton can feel sadness and cry, though even at the end of Unwound Future it's clear that he's still holding back with his crying. I'd wager that it's because he's out in public and around an impressionable individual (Luke) that he's not letting himself fully express his grief. After all, a true gentleman never makes a scene in public.

I'd say, if he were to cry like the way I've drawn him (that is, bawling his eyes out), it'd probably be at the end of UF when Luke leaves for America, and he'd have to be alone. And I mean completely alone. He'd be very careful about having anyone even remotely near him before he breaks down sobbing; he'd wait for Luke to go home, and wait a while to make sure that he hears no other footsteps around who could potentially walk in on him, before crying. And even then, he'd still repress it - trying to choke back sobs to make sure he isn't heard, pulling the brim of his hat over his eyes and covering his eyes with his hand, the works. Because sadness/crying is weakness to him, and a true gentleman can never show weakness.

ANGER: Frankly, I feel like this is one of the emotions I've drawn that I actually could see him showing in the series proper. We've seen him in Unwound Future just barely holding back his anger at Clive when he endangered Flora/started wrecking havoc on London (obviously still restrained- yadda yadda yadda "true gentleman" blah blah blah).

To get him to unrestrain it, I'd say you would have to put a lot of people he cares about (particularly his wards - Luke and Flora would likely be excellent choices) in direct danger, as well as taunt him to a personal degree enough times. Because even the Professor has limits to how much mental strain he can take, and all limits can be broken. It's just a matter of pushing the right (or wrong!) buttons on him.

FEAR: This one's tough I think. As an adult who's seen a lot (including his own death), it's pretty hard to find something that would really scare him to that degree. Throughout the series the most he seems to show in terms of fear is either: a) surprise that he quickly recovers from, or b) the end of Unwound Future when he realizes that Claire can't stay with him.

I say that theoretically (and REALLY emphasize on the "theoretically"), you might be able to get him to emote the way I've drawn him... if you subject him to anything akin to his recently unrepressed memories of his childhood, and he's rendered helpless to do anything to help but watch. But like I said, only theoretically. I'd wager that he'd probably just be angry too.

LAUGHTER: ...I honestly have no good clue to how or when he'd emote like this. For him to laugh so heartily, he'd have to be in a state of extreme emotional vulnerability, which isn't often.

I'd say it'd be at a time where he's feeling very relieved, or elated (and they'd both have to be situations that connect to him personally too; outside events won't phase him). How he'd laugh to such an extent I'm not actually sure, BUT I could paint a bit of a scenario: It's the end of UF, but Claire could actually stay without dying, and she makes a sort of lighthearted joke in light of the events. Would he laugh wholeheartedly? I dunno. But judging on what we've seen of him, it's a maybe.

It's a shame we never get to see him emote so colourfully in the hexalogy proper, but as I've stated before in another long-winded half-legible ramble character analysis, he's SEVERELY repressing his emotions due to Claire's last words/"gentleman" values/positive reinforcements from his peers and environments for successfully hiding his emotions. Poor guy.

[eskawrites]

This is the first year the cfdau hasn’t absolutely wrecked my Spotify wrapped, but don’t worry guys, @sweepy-stringbean’s flayed!tenar playlist is allll over it

[aerophone-amphibians]

Goddamn, MTMTE goes hard on the third readthrough

[pharawee]

[scribblingface]

friendship ended with rosetta stone, new best friend busuu. rosetta stone never ever explains what your mistake was or why the correct answer is correct, you are supposed to learn the language solely by repetition and context without any explanations at all. and I hate it. just TELL ME what the rule is and then I will apply it to future situations! because I'll understand!!

[writinggremlin]

"'Hate' is a strong word," Whumper laughed dismissively.

Whumpee thought for a moment, "'Hate' isn't a strong enough word, to be quite honest with you."

[the-oracle-of-the-lost]

ok embarrassing confession – my knowledge about Christianity is incredibly selective (i know a lot about the impacts of Christianity and a bit about Church history, different denominations, general theology, etc) but i've never read the Bible and was not raised in a Christian environment so i genuinely didn't know why a star was so symbolic to Christmas until the latest Doctor Who special. i knew it was Christmas related because there's usually a star on top of Christmas trees and you get star shaped cookie cutters and the like but it never occurred to me that the star served a purpose i thought it just looked nice or something.